The National Audit Office’s new report, Improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children, finds that in 2023-24, DfE allocated an estimated £9.2 billion to specifically focus on the educational attainment of disadvantaged children. However, disadvantaged children continued to perform less well than their peers across all areas and school phases. Crucially for the early years sector, […]
Natalie Weir and Janine Coates In March 2023, the National Early Years Active Start Partnership (NEYASP) was established to address pressing issues surrounding physical development and inactivity in young children, particularly in a post-pandemic society. This partnership brings together organisations and individuals with extensive experience and expertise in early years physical development, physical education and […]
The letter below sets out our key asks for the next government.
On 10 June, Labour announced their plans for “over three thousand new nursery classes across England to open up access to childcare hours for families”, with “spare classrooms” in schools to be used either for nursery provision delivered by schools, or by PVIs. According to the Guardian, this will include funding of £140m to refurbish […]
The Conservative Manifesto has promised to extend Family Hubs to all local authorities. This would both extend funding for the 75 local authorities where they currently operate, and introduce new funding for those authorities currently without it. This provides some recognition of the need to support families with young children, but with funding levels for […]
The Lib Dems have published their manifesto, including commitments to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into UK law and to tackle child poverty. On early education and childcare specifically, they aim to “close the attainment gap by giving disadvantaged children aged three and four an extra five free hours a […]
Cathy Gunning & Debi Keyte Hartland We love how the arts lift us! Often when we let ourselves go, and feel fully immersed in art-making, we can feel that it has a therapeutic effect on our wellbeing and being. Our creative souls are lifted! There is certainly a joy, a glow and a sense of […]
Do you support family work in children’s centres, libraries or community spaces? Wherever families congregate, music tends to happen, and The Family Music Hub is here to provide bespoke training and support for all those making music with young children and families. The Family Music Hub is a new not-for-profit training provider set up to support […]
Today, Friday 17 May, the Early Education and Childcare Coalition (EECC) has launched its new manifesto, with proposals to rescue and reform England’s early education and childcare sector. Early Education are one of the 30 organisations in the coalition which brings together representatives of parents and children, practitioners, providers, employers and the business sector. To […]
About the SPACE to Flourish project SPACE to Flourish is a four year project which aims to improve children’s school readiness through a focus on supporting creativity and the arts. It is currently funded by The Mercers’ Company, trustee to the Charity of Sir Richard Whittington. It will support participating educators to maximise the impact […]
Early Education
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St Albans
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T: 01727 884925
E: office@early-education.org.uk
